Newburgh residents set for postal service

Councillor Rob Merson has welcomed the prospect of a mobile van providing postal services in Newburgh.

Published:09:00Friday 23 October 2015

Newburgh residents are set to finally get a postal service - six months after the closure of the local branch.

The Post Office is drawing up plans to provide a mobile van in the village.

Residents are currently faced with an 11-mile round trip

Cllr Rob Merson
Ellon and District

It comes after community leaders and local politicians repeatedly urged officials to introduce a replacement service.

The Newburgh office closed in April and calls for a temporary mobile van service for Newburgh had been turned down on the basis that the existing mobile coverage in the area was already stretched to the limit.

But Ellon and District Councillor Rob Merson told the Times this week he had been told by the Post Office that it hoped to provide a mobile service “in the very near future”.

Mr Merson said: “The residents of Newburgh are currently faced with an 11-mile round trip to the nearest Post Office in Ellon, on a route which has very limited public transport.

“That is clearly unacceptable, and I am therefore pleased that the Post Office now proposes to provide a temporary mobile van service.

“However, that is not an optimum resolution for the residents of Newburgh, and I have written to the Post Office to seek their assurance that endeavours to provide a permanent facility will continue.”

Foveran Community Council has welcomed the move.

Secretary Glen Douglas said: “The council is pleased that the Post Office is intending to provide mobile facilities in Newburgh.

“This will alleviate the current situation where people have to travel either to Ellon or Balmedie to access postal services, which can mean a two-hour round trip using buses.”

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Newburgh Post Office.

“We know how important Post Office services are to people in Newburgh and we are committed to maintaining services for our customers. “We are progressing a positive option with a view to installing a service in the near future.”